Environmental monitoring report: United States Deparment of Energy Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant

Air, water, soil, and grass in the vicinity of the Padacuh Gaseous Diffusion Plant were continuously or periodically sampled during 1980. Analyses for materials known to be in plant effluents were made to provide effluent control information and to determine compliance with applicable air and water quality standards. Air analyses for radioactivity indicated concentrations at each offsite sampling station averaged less than 1% of the applicable Radioactivity Concentration Guide. Offsite analyses for fluorides in grass met the Kentucky Air Quality Requirements. All onsite and offsite airborne fluoride samples met the Kentucky one-week and one-month standards for gaseous HF. Soil samples were analyzed for uranium and showed no significant deviation from normal background concentrations. There was no detectable change in chemical, physical, or radioactive characteristics of either the Ohio River or ground water attributable to Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant operations. The results of water sample analyses of the Ohio River show the chromium and fluoride concentrations to be in compliance with the requirements of the applicable Kentucky regulations. The concentration of hexavalent chromium in Little Bayou Creek has occasionally been in excess of the Kentucky aquatic life standard of 0.05 mg/l due to cooling tower windage